Continuous rod type cigarette making machine



July 4, 1944. F. F. RUAU CONTINUOUS ROD TYPE CIGARETTE MAKING MACHINE Filed April 18, 1940- 2 Sheets-Sheet-l July 4, 1944. F. FQRUAU CONTINUOUS ROD TYPE CIGARETTE MAKING MACHINE Filed April 18, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 paratus for use Patented July 4, 1944 aren't OFFICE CONTINUOUS non TYPE CIGARETTE MAKING MACHINE Flix Frederic Ruau,

Deptford; London, England,

assignor to Molins Machine Company, Limited, Deptford, London,

Application April 18,1940, Serial No. 330,415

3 Claims.

This invention is for improvements in or relating to continuous rod type cigarette making machines and refers particularly to tipping apin such machines, the tipping apparatus being of the kind in which a tip is severed from a web of tipping material and-is adhesively secured to a web of cigarette paper in a manner such that an edge portion of the tip extends beyond a longitudinal edge of the cigarette paper web. Such apparatus will be referred to below as tipping apparatus of the kind described.

Where herein the term cork is used when referring to tipping material it is to include forms of tipping material other than cork, for example, it includes ivory or gold leaf tipping material.

By using tipping apparatus of the kind described it is possible to avoid the formation of a cork to paper seam in the cigarette rod at those places where the cork tips occur.

According to the present invention there is provided tipping apparatus of the kind described wherein means is arranged to apply adhesive prior to the cork being engaged by a cigarette paper web, to one side of that longitudinal edge portion of the cork web which, when a tip is severed from the web and secured to a cigarette paper England Great Britain May 4, 1939 web, extends beyond a longitudinal edge of the paper web, the adhesive being applied only or substantially only to the edge portion, and wherein prior to the cork being engaged by the cigarette paper web, that side of the cork which is opposite to the side to which adhesive has been applied is engaged by a heating element for the purpose of partly drying'the adhesive and thereby making it tacky. The heating element may comprise a roller having a smooth peripheral surface to engage the cork web, said roller being mechanically rotated in a direction such that the engaging surfaces of the roller and the web move in the same direction, the roller being driven so as to have a peripheral speed greater than the linear speed of the cork web for the purpose of tensioning the cork web and assisting the feeding of the cork Web in the desired direction.

The means to apply adhesive to the cork web may comprise an adhesive applying roller receiving adhesive from a duct or container and a scraper to remove excess adhesive from the adhesive applying roller and to return the excess adhesive to the duct or container. Means operative in response to movement of a member (e. g., a starting handle) controlling the apparatus may be arranged, when the apparatus is caused to cease operating, to lift the cork web out of engagement with the means to apply adhesive.

One embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of part of a continuous rod cigarette making machine showing the invention applied thereto.

Figure 2 is a partial end elevation of Figure 1, partly in section, the view being taken in the direction of arrow A.

Figure 3 shows a piece of cigarette paper with tipping material applied thereto.

Figure 4 shows one known method of forming a tipped cigarette.

Figure 5 shows another known method of forming a tipped cigarette in accordance with the present invention.

Referring to the drawings:

A reel of cork I is rotatably supported, for example, by a spindle 2 journalled in a bracket 3 fixed to the bed 4 of the cigarette making machine, and the web is drawn from the reel by suitable pulling rollers (not shown) driven from the main drive of the machine so that the web travels in the direction of the arrows, Figure 1. The cork web passes over a guide roller 5 and then over an adhesive applying roller 6 which receives adhesive, e. g., starch paste, from a sup ply roller 1 rotatably mounted in a duct or container 8. The adhesive applying roller is arranged to apply adhesive only to one longitudinal edge portion 9 of the cork web, see Figure 3'. The roller applies adhesive to only one side of the cork web. A scraper or doctor I0 is arranged to engage the surface of the adhesive applying roller and to remove excess adhesive from the roller prior to its engagement with the cork web, the excess adhesive so removed being returned into the duct or container 8.

After passing the adhesive applying roller that surface S, Figure 1, of the cork web which is opposite to the surface to which adhesive has been applied is engaged by the peripheral surface of a heated roller II which is secured to a spindle l2 mounted for rotation in bearings supported by the bed 4 of the cigarette making machine. The peripheral surface of the roller is smooth, because a smooth surface is the best kind of surface for transferring heat to the web.

The roller is heated by any suitable means, but preferably by means of an electrical resistance IS. The heated roller isrotated in the direction of the arrow, Figure 1, so that the engaging surfaces of the cork web and the roller move in the same direction and the roller is driven from the main drive of the machine, for example, by means of a belt l4 which is passed around a pulley IE on the main shaft l6 and around a furby this means it is possible, without altering the.

adhesive applying mechanism or the driving mechanism for the heated roller, to adjust the cutting device for severing tips from the cork web or the cork web feeding mechanism so as to obtain different lengths of tip.

It will be appreciated that a less difference of speed may, if desired, be employed, but when a less difference is employed care must be taken to ensure that the difference is not made too small because if the difference in speed is relatively small it may so happen that if the apparatus is arranged to cut tips of a length different from those for which the apparatus is originally set, the web may, in such circumstances, be

moved with a linear speed which is greater than F the peripheral speed of the heated roller.

I The starting handle of the machine is preferably connected with a sliding lever to which is connected a pin 28 which is arranged to engage with that surface of the cork web to which adhesive is being applied by the adhesive applying roller. In the construction shown the sliding lever 2| is connected with one arm 22 of a pivoted bell crank lever, the other arm 23 of the bell crank lever being connected with the starting handle 24 through a link 25. The arrangement is such that when the starting handle is operated so as to cause the apparatus to cease operating, the sliding lever is caused to move and the pin 26 engages the web of cork in a manner such that the cork web is raised out of engagement with the adhesive applying roller while the apparatus is at rest.

The roller H has the electric resistances I3 incorporated in its rim and leads from the resistances pass to brushes 2'! which contact with fixed slip rings 28, the brushes being carried by an arm 29 movable with the roller II. The rings are mounted on an insulating block 30 and current passes to the rings through leads 3|.

After passing the heated roller above referred to, the cork web is passed to any suitable known form of mechanism which is arranged to cut a tip from the cork web and to cause the severed ti to be moved into engagement with a web of cigarette paper which web has been previously supplied with adhesive at the position to which the tip is to be secured. This mechanism is 'not shown on the drawings, but is contained within a housing I25. The cigarette paper web to which the cork tips have been applied is moved through the cigarette rod forming mechanism in the usual manner and is folded thereby about a tobacco core so that the longitudinal edges of the cigarette paper web overlap and form a seam which is adhesively secured by adhesive appliedv to a longitudinal edge portion of the cigarette paper web by any suitable known form of adhesive applying-mechanism. Those portions of the Preferably the cork tips which extend beyond a longitudinal edge of the cigarette paper web are, during the folding of the cigarette paper web, folded into engagement with the opposite edge portions of the cork tips and are caused to adhere thereto by being passed beneath a heating element which causes the adhesive in the seam of the cigarette paper webto be dried and simultaneously causes the overlapping cork tip portions to be adhesively secured. The resulting ti is located as shown in Figure 5, while Figure 4 shows another method Which is objectionable because there is a liability of a cork to paper seam, as

previously mentioned. 1 wThe adhesive between the cork tip seams is secured by reason of the fact that the adhesive applied to the edge portions of the tips is tacky and to some extent the adhesion is thought to be" due to the fact that moisture is released from the adhesive contained in the seam of the cigarette paper web by the heating element, such moisture tending to move towards the outer edge of the seam, thus moistening the adhesive on the cork tip.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In tipping apparatus of the kind described, means to feed a cork mat whose longitudinal edge portions are to be secured to each other, mechanism to apply adhesive to one of said edge portions, a roller whose peripheral surface is adapted to be engaged by that side of the cork which is opposite to the side to which adhesive is applied, means to rotate said roller in a direction such that the engaging surfaces of the roller and the cork Web move in the same direction, and means toheat said roller so that the adhesive is partly dried and is thereby made tacky.

2. In tipping apparatus of the kind described, means to feed a cork web whose longitudinal edge portions are to be secured to each other, mechanism to apply adhesive to one of said edge portions, a roller whose peripheral surface is adapted, before the cork is delivered to a cigarette paper web, to be engaged by that side of the cork which is opposite to the side to which adhesive is applied, means to rotate said roller at a peripheral speed greater than the linear speed of the web and in a direction such that the engaging surfaces of the roller and the cork web move in the same direction, and means to heat said roller so that the adhesive is partly dried and is thereby made tacky.

3. In tipping apparatus of the kind described, means to feed a cork web whose longitudinal edge portions are to be secured to each other, an adhesive container, an adhesive applyin roller to transfer adhesive from the container to' one of said edge portions, a scraper to remove eXcess adhesive from the adhesive applying roller, a drying roller whose peripheral surface is adapted to be engaged by that surface of the cork which is opposite to the side to which adhesive is applied, means to rotate the drying roller at a peripheral speed which is greater than the linear .speed'of the cork Web and in a direction such that the engaging surfaces of the drying roller and the corkweb move in the same direction, and means to heat the drying roller so that the adhesive is partly driedand is thereby made 

